With Chicago Marathon behind us, we turn now to the last fall marathon and the biggest of them all – NYC Marathon! The largest marathon in the world features 50,000 runners, 2 million spectators, 5 bridges, and a course spanning 26.2 miles through Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan and the Bronx. NYC is a bucket list marathon – and we share our detailed experiences of the 2022 NYC Marathon below.
Zhenya's Experience
To preface all of the below, this post has been sitting in my drafts since December of last year. Almost a year later, it is finally out to see the light of day!
First, let me take you back in time, 13 years back to be precise. I am 23, living on the Upper West Side, steps away from Central Park. At the time, I was a live-in nanny and on this one particular Sunday in November, I had a day off.
I am flipping through Time Warner Cable (remember those days?), when I stumble across marathon footage. And as I watch, I notice myself getting out of bed, putting on my shoes and heading out the door, because the marathon is less than a mile away, and I have to go see it.
I enter the park, past the theater, across the Great Lawn, and there it is - the mile 24 marker. Both sides of the street are lined with spectators, volunteers, and now me. The elites zoom by, first the men, I don't know any of them. Then the elite women come flying by, Paula Radcliffe is in 4th.
Elite women in the 2009 NYC Marathon
The park is flooded with more and more runners, and as they pass by, I fall completely and hopelessly in love.
Fast forward to November 6th, 2022 and I am about to run NYC Marathon myself. It is shortly after 9 am, I've been awake for 5 hours, my friend Austin and I journeyed all the way from the Upper East Side to Staten Island. Bus, ferry and another bus ride later, we are finally at the athlete's start village walking around eating bagels trying to decide if we want to pet therapy dogs.
Finally, I am standing on the upper tier of the Verrazano Bridge, the Manhattan skyline to my left. I look up at the bridge, cementing this image in my brain. "This will be over in 3 hours, take it all in" - I tell myself as I listen to Frank Sinatra's New York, New York blast from the loudspeakers.
The race begins, and before I know it I am running the streets of Brooklyn. About 4 miles in, I hear "Go Chelsea" and as I look ahead, I see Chelsea Clinton straight ahead. As I pass her, I look over and say "Way to go, Chelsea", she replies with a simple "Thanks".
I make it to mile 6, where I know my friend Kat is waiting. She lives on the marathon course. I see her and Sam, wave to them and keep going. I know they are headed to get bagels and donuts immediately after and I am only a little jealous.
Running through Brooklyn in 2022 NYC Marathon
There is another runner that is holding a pace close to mine, we stick together, encouraging each other through the heat and the city blocks. She tells me I look strong. Her name is Jackie. I lose her as we get into Bed-Stuy. My friend Kelly screams my name, I wave again.
Now I am in Williamsburg, I know to look for Kari and Aileen around mile 11, they are easy to spot and give me an incredible boost of energy.
My friend Buddy jumps in with me at mile 12. We planned this. It is hot and he is grabbing extra water for me at the stops. I am pouring most of it on my head, I am soaked, but I will not let the heat get to me. I've never had anyone run more than a mile in the marathon with me before. It is nice to have this kind of support on the course. Buddy keeps telling me I am doing amazing. Then we get to Queensborough bridge and as we are climbing up it, I ask "Can we walk?". As we walk, Rob passes by in his pink Lululemon shorts. We hit 20K and start running again. The descent off the bridge is a lot easier, and I tell Buddy to get his phone out, because we are about to hit 1st avenue. You hear the crowd before you see it, and I've never seen or heard anything like this before. It sounds like a roller coaster X 1000! The spectators are lining both sides of the street at least 5 people deep. It is insane.
We keep moving up 1st Ave when I hear a sound of a can opening. I look over as Buddy starts sipping on a Red Bull. I crack up laughing. He fills me in on the Brazilian runner who started out at an insanely fast pace to end up on the side of the road. "I must not end up on the side of the road" I think to myself. Buddy peels off in the Bronx, he has another friend to run with.
I continue on my own and as I cross the "Last Damn Bridge" I start mentally preparing myself for the incline which is 5th avenue. It's raining a bit, a mockery of a drizzle that does absolutely nothing in this weather. I let out a sigh of relief as I enter Central Park.
The mile 24 marker is getting closer and as I pass it, I am absolutely torn between stopping and taking it all in or finishing the race. Last 2 miles feel like 10.
Mile 24
I opt for finishing. 3:33 and some change. What a crazy hot day it's been! I am exhausted. I walk towards the Museum of Natural History, Sam is there waiting for me on one of the benches. We dodge all the marathon foot traffic and head back to our UES apartment (a 5th floor walkup!)
Janet's Experience
NYC is my hometown, so I was super excited to run this marathon in the city where I had grown up. The 2022 Marathon was one to remember - an unseasonably hot day where many people, even the most elite runners, collapsed from heat and nausea.
Getting There
I must admit I was not excited to start in Staten Island, mostly because it was so hard to get to. Starting in Wave 3 meant that I got to sleep in later (plus it was Daylight Savings weekend, so I got an extra hour!) After leaving my friend Kim's apartment on the Upper East Side (her place was conveniently located on the marathon course) I took an Uber down to Columbus Circle to pick up my friend Hazel, who was staying on the Upper West Side. Together, we took the 1 train down to Bowling Green to catch the Staten Island Ferry.
We had signed up for the 8am ferry, but upon arrival, the terminal was jam-packed. We finally boarded a ferry around 8:30am. The ferry ride was peaceful with sunrise views of Statue of Liberty. But as soon as we waded into the large crowds after getting off the ferry, we saw that things were really behind schedule.
There did not seem to be enough buses to transport the thousands of runners who were waiting to get to the start village. We were packed like sardines, with runners pushing to get to the front of the line, especially those in earlier waves who were missing their start time. It was a hot mess. After waiting over 1 hour in that crowd, we finally boarded a bus headed towards the start village. The trip took almost 45 minutes, meandering through the narrow streets of Staten Island.
The hot crowded mess at the bus terminal
Start Village
Once we got to the start village, we separated into different areas according to our assigned wave color (Blue, Orange, Green.) I was in the Green group, which meant I would start on the lower level of the Verrazano Bridge. My friend was in the Blue group, so we wished each other good luck and parted ways. I had about an hour left at this point, so I found an area under a tree, did my warm-up rehab exercises (for my IT band), and ate my second Maurten bar. Afterwards, I made my way to the corral, twenty minutes before start time.
The Race
Staten Island
By the time I started, it was nearly 11am – 5 hours after I had woken up that morning. I had been on my feet for much of those 5 hours…and I still had 26.2 miles to run! The sun was high in the sky and it was a hot 70 degrees. I immediately pushed down my arm sleeves to try to cool down. As we moved towards the Verrazano bridge, we could see the news helicopters hovering above us as Frank Sinatra’s ‘New York, New York’ blared over the loudspeakers. Finally, we were off! Although we were running uphill during the first half of the long, narrow Verrazano Bridge, we didn’t feel it at all – too much adrenaline and excitement. It feels like we are flying down the second half of the bridge. Finally, we turn off the bridge into Brooklyn.
Bridge #1: Verrazano Bridge
Brooklyn
As we got off the Verrazano Bridge, my pacer seemed to be struggling with the heat. I saw another pace group in front of me and ran off to join them instead. It was the right move – the 2 NYRR pacers (thanks Julia and Vivian!) in this group were the best pacers I have ever run with. They were encouraging and steady, with an almost block by block knowledge of the course, calling out every minor rolling hill along the long stretch of Fourth Avenue. We ran through the neighborhoods of south Brooklyn - Bay Ridge and Sunset Park – filled with spectators lining their front yards. At around mile 3, the waves converge, and we headed into Park Slope, Fort Greene and Bed-Stuy. I felt nostalgic as I ran through the neighborhoods of my youth – so much had changed since high school. Shiny new Barclays Center now stood near what had been a dilapidated mall. Borderline neighborhoods were now trendy, gentrified areas with tons of retailers and restaurants. Is this still Brooklyn?
Williamsburg was one big party - bars lined the streets filled with drunken spectators cheering us on at the top of their lungs. To me, this was the most raucous part of the course because of the proximity of the revelers to the runners. My pacer reminded us that they had been drinking for hours by now…hence the over-the-top excitement! She told us to take in the energy and bottle it, be grateful for the millions who had come out to cheer for us.
Queens
A mile away from Queensboro Bridge, we are warned to mentally prepared for the bridge crossing. This is one of the toughest parts of the course. After the loud cheers throughout Brooklyn, there are no spectators on the bridge and it becomes eerily quiet - all we can hear are the sounds of footsteps and our own thoughts as we traverse up the first half of the bridge. At mile 15, this is a struggle. We are encouraged to chant our mantras or play word games as we run uphill for almost a mile. I choose the word game option, and I get a little breathless as we near the top/middle of the bridge. But I know I have made it as soon as we start to descend. Already, we can hear the ‘wall of sound’ coming from the crowds in Manhattan.
Manhattan
The roar of the crowds gets louder and louder as we turn off the bridge into Manhattan at last. On First Ave, the road widens as spectators ten deep line the streets. I charge ahead of the pace group as we reach 70th St, staying to the left side as I scan the crowds looking for my friends and family. I had expected them around 77th St, but I do not see them until almost 80th St (it turns out the crowds were so deep they could not find a spot near the barrier until they moved further north.) I hug them, grab my Maurten mix refill bottle, and run on to try to catch my pace group. But by then I had lost them…I would have to do the next 8+ miles on my own.
It gets quieter the further north I go into East Harlem. Without a pace group to chat with, I turn on my music and try to dig deeper. At mile 20, feeling a twinge in my left IT band (which I had been rehabbing for 5 weeks since the Berlin Marathon), I ‘treat’ myself to an extra strength Tylenol.
The Bronx
We leave Harlem and cross over into the Bronx, running over a ‘mini’ bridge (compared to the Queensboro.) It is relatively quiet until we turn left, and we are energetically greeted with cheers, hip hop, salsa, and drums, which makes me so happy! We turn south again and at mile 21, I remind myself that it is less than 10K left – a normal weekday run – no problem, right?
Central Park & The Finish
We head up 5th Avenue through Harlem and into Manhattan. I thought that the most challenging parts of the course were over after crossing the 5 bridges, so I was completely unprepared for the 1 mile uphill on 5th Ave. The stretch between mile 23 and 24 seemed never-ending, and my left quad cramped up (I had forgotten to take a salt tablet), so I was forced to walk for about a quarter mile. At this point, I thought I might have to just walk the rest of the marathon.
But as we entered Central Park, I decided to try running again. It was a good decision - there was a nice downhill portion that became the most fun part of the marathon for me. I felt like a superhero sprinting down the narrow, windy paths of Central Park filled with cheering crowds on both sides! As we get further south into the Park, there is a slight traffic jam as there are so many spectators that they cover the blue line.
After mile 25, we exit the park and turn onto Central Park South. I have walked the 3 blocks of Central Park South countless times since I was a teenager, and never have I noticed that it was an uphill! This time, I definitely noticed it – but knowing that this was the final stretch, combined with the loud cheering crowds, allowed me to power through.
We turn back into Central Park by Columbus Circle, and sure enough, there is a course marshal checking that all runners had their bibs visible. Only 200 meters to go, and my heart fills as we run through a stretch filled with flags from around the world. I sprint towards the finish line – 3rd marathon done!
After the Finish
Everyone talks about how long the post-finish line walk is. In reality, it feels even longer. Even though the marathon finishes near W 67th Street, we walk north for almost a mile before we are allowed out of Central Park. After receiving a nice lined poncho (so warm!) and a heavy snack bag filled with 3 Gatorades (who needs 3 Gatorades?!), we trudged our way slowly through and giggled as the announcer kept repeating “You’re almost there! Almost out of the park!” I was grateful to have finished without incident, as it was disconcerting to see so many emergency medical teams running by with stretchers full of runners who had collapsed on this hot day.
The long walk after the finish line
When I finally exited the park, I headed towards the Empire Hotel, which is where I thought we had planned to meet. However, my friends and family were not in the lobby, and by this point, my Apple watch battery had died, so I had no phone either. I asked to use the hotel lobby phone and it turns out they were back at another hotel in Central Park South. I walked another 10 blocks south (by this point, it was over an hour since the marathon ended) and was finally able to shower and eat a celebratory meal!
Top Tips to Remember
Be prepared for large crowds and delays getting on the buses after the ferry. Budget extra time.
You will be at the start village for hours. Bring something warm to wear, a blanket or garbage bag to sit on. Fuel up with coffee and bagels from Dunkin Donuts or bring a second breakfast/snack.
Runners start on 2 levels of the Verrazano bridge, depending on your wave color. Upper tier is very pretty with the Manhattan skyline but bottom tier feels peaceful and quieter (plus fewer people stopping to take pictures and videos.) And no, there is no one peeing off the edge of the bridge!
Williamsburg is a loud, massive party. If it's too overwhelming, try to focus, turn on your music, and stick to the middle of the course.
Queensboro Bridge at mile 15 will challenge you physically and mentally. Be prepared with your race mantras.
In Manhattan, it gets quieter the further north you go. If your family is meeting you along First Ave, it will be easier to see them north of 96th Street into Harlem.
The 1 mile uphill along Fifth Avenue between miles 23 and 24 is no joke and seems never-ending. Just get to Central Park and you will be rewarded with some downhills!
The path within Central Park is narrow and winding. Be prepared for some rolling hills and crowds overstepping onto the blue line.
Central Park South is an uphill! But thankfully, the last one. Make sure your bib is visible as you head back into the Park for the finish.
The walk after the finish line feels like a marathon in itself. But you've already run 26.2 miles, what's another mile or two??
Good luck runners! Enjoy this iconic race - it's an experience you will never forget!
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